Go for it, you get what you pay for. Good warranty.

How much is the preventive maintenance agreement?

Have you asked about getting a 10 year labor warranty from Trane? The vendor labor warranty assumes the contractor will be in business for the next 10 years. I would rather pay the money to the manufacturer and feel confident the waranty will be honored.

The Trane heat pump experts should give their opinion on the XL16i. There may be better options.

The maintenance agreement is $218/yr for both systems after the first year. It covers the spring / fall checks that they do on both systems and I think it is required to maintain the 10 -12 year warranty. I did not know Trane offered their own labor warranty - i will have to check into that, but I wonder if the installer would be the one to do the work anyway.....
I would love to hear any opinions on the heat pump! It is only a few hundred more than going with the 16i AC units, but it $1700 more than going with the XR15 2.5 ton and 2 ton heat pumps...

Generally company's that sell Trane or AS are good solid, established company's however I would check into who is backing the labor warranty like mike said.

When it comes to the HPs, I would want to know the price of your electricity and the price of gas.

I'm not an expert on this, but it has been said that the 2-stage Trane isn't all that great in that the two stages are not that far apart. You could save some $$$ doing the X15 single stage and still have a comfortable system.

Keep the variable speed blower. It makes a big difference.

Btw: is your choice between a gas furnace / AC system and a dual fuel NG / HP system? If so, do you have bids for the former? Or are you already decided on the HP?

If your contractor is an Authorized Trane Factory dealer, then he would do the warranty repair under the Trane warranty. The differnece is Trane is paying for the repairs. The $218 per year is required by the contractor to maintain his labor warranty. You should ask Trane what is required to maintain the parts warranty.

It may end up costing the same money, however you will have the option to use any Trane dealer for future repairs.

We are not completely sold on going with a heat pump..we currently have an 8 seer 2.5 ton AC and an 8 seer 3 ton AC with gas furnaces. It is a 200 dollar difference to go with the 16 i heat pump versus the 16i AC units (same VS furnace.)
For a 15 the quotes were:
Trane XR15 2.5 Ton Dual Fuel Heat Pump System

Trane XR15 Heat Pump System

4TWR5030 Heat Pump
4TXCB031BC Evaporator Coil
TUD2B060A9V36 Furnace

Includes (if necessary):
Condenser Pad
1" Filter Rack
Honeywell IAQ Thermostat
Drain Pan
Water Safety Switch
All Labor

Warranty:
10 Year Compressor
10 Year Evaporator Coil
Lifetime Heat Exchanger
10 Year Parts
5 Year Labor with on-going Preventative Maintenance Agreement
Trane XR15 R-410A 2.0 Ton Heat Pump
4TWR5024
This is $12,100.

For the AC option:\Trane XR15 2.5 Ton AC System

Trane XR15 Split System

4TTR5030 Condenser
4TXCB031BC Evaporator Coil
TUD2B060A9V3 Furnace
Honeywell Pro 4000 Thermostat
Warranty:
10 Year Compressor
10 Year Evaporator Coil
Lifetime Heat Exchanger
10 Year Parts
5 Year Labor

Trane XR15 2.0 Ton AC System

Trane XR15 Split System

4TTR5024 Condenser
4TXCB025BC Evaporator Coil
TUD1B060A9V3 Furnace
Honeywell Pro 4000 Thermostat
Warranty:
10 Year Compressor
10 Year Evaporator Coil
Lifetime Heat Exchanger
10 Year Parts
5 Year Labor

This XR15 AC option is 10,400.

I had not heard that the 16i was not a significant upgrade over the 15...i hope an expert will chime in. The sales rep suggested a heat pump in case natural gas prices stay low you would have the option of NG heat....

$200 more for heat pump is a no brainer. Right now, NG is so cheap there isn't a huge advantage. But it still could pay for itself in a year or two depending on your rates.

WINTER � NOVEMBER 1 - APRIL 30 BILLING
Service Charge @ $ 9.75 per mo.
First 900 kWh @ 8.50� per kWh
Over 900 kWh @ 7.60� per kWh
SUMMER - MAY 1 - OCTOBER 31 BILLING
Service Charge @ $ 9.75 per mo.
First 900 kWh @ 8.50� per kWh
Over 900 kWh @ 11.25� per kWh

Our natural gas is currently $.58 per therm fixed rate per 12 months...

The prices for all the systems quoted are well within reason. I like the option of the dual fuel because you have the option to use the furnace all the time if NG stays low or as a dual fuel if prices sky rocket on NG. Make sure outdoor sensor is used for dual fuel control. I like the xl16i units but sometimes the added cost is not worth the return on investment. I also live in GA and find the xl16i not to dehumidify as well due to how it stages the compressor and fan. I would look into the xl15i to keep the 12 year compressor warranty.

I like the heatpump option for sure. I"m not so sure about $218 per year service contract. Seems like overkill. Thats just me though. Others might want a once a year clean check. I don't think its necessary if everything is running fine.

Anyone have any info on using zoning? This has also been suggested as we have the proper amps already and are mostly downstairs during the day and upstairs at night for sleeping..It would use EWC zone controls and one 4 ton trane heat pump with a 80furnace...